Sick...

Please forgive the long break in posts. I have been awfully sick over the last couple weeks, and it's been all I could do just to make it through a full day at school. I started on a medicine this week, but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Please pray for complete healing. I will catch up on posts as soon as I am well again.

Also, if you receive my monthly newsletters, please excuse that coming late as well. So sorry.

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

I have been feeling particularly emotional this Christmas season. Oddly enough, it's not because I miss "home" or family (though of course I'd love to be able to celebrate the holidays with them); rather, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude that God has made Guatemala "home" for me. I couldn't help but smile as I walked out of Guatemala's Wal-mart tonight and heard the intercom play, "Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays." Literally, I smiled.

Then tonight as I climbed into bed, I saw a note I received three and a half years ago. I'm so glad I held onto it then, as it's been such an encouragement to me. The note was from a very dear friend at my college who had spent most of her summer in Nicaragua the year before I spent mine in Guatemala. She sent me the note early in our senior year, just weeks after I'd returned back to the U.S. The part that amazes me says this:

"Your time in Guatemala has prepared you for what God has awaiting for you. You touched many this summer, and you have an experience that will forever be a part of who you are! May you be blessed by that and blessed that God has so much in store for you!"

Did I mention my friend wrote this note before we'd really even had the opportunity to talk about my summer? I truly believe that those words were not just from my friend, they were from the Lord. Though my first two years living in Guatemala were spent nearly 5 hours away from the children's home I love so much, I praise the Lord for those years and the experiences I had in Xela. I had opportunity to experience the culture and learn the language in more real ways than I ever could have, had I first moved right to the city.

And now, here I am, a half-hour drive from the kids that mean the world to me. Even in traffic, I think I smile each time I drive to the Home, just because I'm still so amazed that God has finally opened the door for me to be close enough to do that. Not only that, He's granted me a peace in driving to and from the Home. I've still hardly ventured out around the city--and certainly not on my own--as the thought of getting lost and dealing with all the traffic here makes me rather uncomfortable. But, the Lord has been good to me and made the trip to the Home one that I typically enjoy.

What a true blessing from the Lord to feel at home this Christmas. :) There's so much more I could say about it, but I'll save that for another blog.

Simple Trust

*Oops. Wrote this Saturday and just realized I never posted...so, here it is...

Yesterday was perhaps my favorite day of the whole school year! The only other day that compares is the 100th day of school. (What can I say, God made me to be a teacher!) So, what made yesterday so special?

Yesterday was our trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express!!! Though the trip only took about a half hour, it's such a special day that we got to do a few different fun things throughout the day. One of my favorite activities from yesterday was writing our spelling words in "snow" (aka powdered sugar). Thursday evening I had painted the windows to look like it was snowing (marshmallows and white paint are perfect for such decoration!). Then yesterday I told the students that it had snowed Thursday night and I'd collected some of it for them to play in. Almost none of my students last year had seen snow, so the majority believed me from the very beginning. This year, it was a little harder to convince the students but I'd estimate half of them actually believed they were playing with snow! Maybe it makes me a bad teacher--lying to the students--or maybe it makes me a good teacher--being creative, making learning fun, and getting kids to use their imaginations. Either way, it's interesting to think that any child would truly believe that they were playing in snow.

The Bible tells us to have faith like a child and we often contemplate what that looks like. I can tell you--It looks like believing in the impossible (we're wearing t-shirts and it's the dry season--snow is impossible!) because your trusted teacher tells you its truth. It's fighting for that impossible that you believe in because you so sincerely believe all that your teacher tells you.

Just Life

My parents came to visit Guatemala for the first time two weeks ago! Despite many "adventures" that occurred before and during their visit, I was grateful to finally have the opportunity to show them around the country that has become so special to me. But...I'll share all about their visit in another post...for now, just another thought that I had tonight...

This evening I had the opportunity to go out to the Children's Home and hang out with the senoritas (older girls) for a couple hours. I, along with 2 other missionaries who live on the campus of NLCH, plan to begin a Beth Moore Bible study on Esther with the girls in January. Until then, we wanted to take the opportunity to break the ice a bit, and create an open, fun atmosphere that will encourage the girls to participate in the study. Tonight, we watched a movie in Spanish (with Spanish subtitles) and then had a little fun with Zumba. While the movie was on, I was looking around at all the girls squished on the couches, and it hit me...tonight was one of the very first times (if not the absolute first) that I had the opportunity to spend time with kids at NLCH without the over-shadowing sadness of counting the days left before I'd have to leave them again. I was watching a movie in Spanish, and I understood it just fine. I was not only chatting in Spanish, but I was using "vos", which demonstrates a good friendship. I was getting into pillow fights, laughing, having water tossed on me...I've always treasured my time with the kids at NLCH, but I'm blown away at the thought of how blessed I am that fun times with those kids is now just life. It's regular, ordinary life. I'm living in a third world country, thinking in and speaking a 2nd language fluently, hanging out with and soon-to-be discipling kids who were once abused and abandoned but now so well adjusted...this is just "normal" life for me...and I couldn't be more amazed by that blessing nor more thankful for it.

A Quick Quote

I've been trying really hard to keep up with the blog and post weekly, but with facebook and e-mails, I often forget I haven't posted here as well. Since it's getting pretty late tonight, I'll just entertain you with a simple kid quote...Enjoy!

1st (my class) and 2nd grade are meeting together during Social Studies each day this week for a collaborative mini-unit on the first Thanksgiving. While activating some prior knowledge of students today, I asked who was involved in the first Thanksgiving. Someone accurately named the Indians, but the kids were having trouble remembering what the other group of people was called. Then I saw a student very confidently raising her hand, and when I called on her and asked who the other group was, she shouted with a smile, "the Philistines!" :)

These are a few of my favorite things...

Life continues to be very busy, but very fun. Here are a few of my favorite things I've been up to recently...

-Taking 15 children from New Life Children's Home to the Harvest Fair at school: It was tiresome trying to keep up with the kids, but so much fun to see them so excited and enjoying a simple outing.

-Visiting a children's home for kids with AIDS: Lots of running, laughing, tickling, story reading, and hugs.

-Hair cut: I was super blessed to spend an evening out at NLCH and get my hair cut by a visiting team member. I LOVE the haircut and I'm still getting compliments on it over a week after it was cut. It's wonderful how God can use every gift He gives us to bless others.

-Planning for my parent's visit!: Wish-list making, finding subs, requesting time off, and getting very excited for my parents first visit to Guatemala!

-Shopping in the market in Zone 1: A wonderful place to buy anything and everything!

-Survivor Nights: A huge blessing by a parent from school. Each Wednesday night she prepares a delicious dinner, complete with dessert, and a number of us teachers (mostly single elem. teachers) are invited over for dinner and watching the show "Survivor".

-Bible Study: Monday nights we have a ladies Bible study with other CAG teachers/staff. It's been stretching me and growing me. Also, though it hasn't begun yet, I'm preparing to begin a Beth Moore Bible study on Esther with the older girls at NLCH. Can't wait!

-Time with one of my best friends, Rachel: Sleepover when we had off school for day of the dead. Dinner outings to Miraflores (a local mall). Chatting in the car when I take her home after Bible study. Recess duties together. Hang-out time after Survivor nights. Spanglish conversations. Walking during lunch. I can't express what a blessing Rachel has been to me and how grateful I am the Lord blessed me with her friendship!

From Conferences to Cake

Yesterday we had parent teacher conferences at school. I was thankful for the peace the Lord gave me about them and how well each one turned out. The best part about conferences though was that I was done by lunch! I ate lunch at school and then spent a bit of time working in my classroom before leaving for the children's home.

It was great to be able to go out there on a beautiful Friday afternoon! Traffic was better than in usually is on Saturday's and it was a sweet blessing to watch and join in with all the kids playing outside. The main reason I went yesterday (other than because I left school early) was because one of the girls--Angie--was celebrating her 13th birthday. It's been quite some time since I was able to celebrate a birthday with the kids at the Home so I really enjoyed that. I also really enjoyed my piece of chocolate peanut butter banana cake!

Highlights of the day:

-"Easy" conferences

-Playing with the kids all afternoon

-Hearing Jason Alejandro say another word (his 2nd that I'm told he actually says 3 words now.)

-Squeels and running hugs (you know...the kind where a kid runs and jumps into your arms!) from several of the newer, younger kids who finally know me well enough to get excited when I'm around.

-Birthday cake baked by Wendy Wheeler :)

-Making it home in the dark without any trouble and in pretty good time

Thanks for your prayers and notes of encouragement! It was a long and challenging week trying to work through some kinks in the new online grade program and prepare for conferences, but thankfully the Lord provided me with a sweet blessing at the end of it all. Tomorrow is a new adventure...trying to drive to church alone for the first time. Why? Because after church I'm going to play with kids at a home for children with AIDS! Can't wait to love on some more sweet kids!